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Franklin County, Washington
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. In 2010, its population was 78,163. The county seat is at Pasco, which is also the county's largest city. It was named after Benjamin Franklin. Franklin County was formed out of Whitman County on November 28, 1883. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.81%) is water. Geographic features *Columbia River *Hanford Nuclear Reservation *Juniper Dunes Wilderness *Snake River Major highways * SR 260 * Interstate 182 * U.S. 12 * U.S. 395 Adjacent counties *Adams County, Washington - north *Whitman County, Washington - east *Walla Walla County, Washington - southeast *Benton County, Washington - southwest *Grant County, Washington - northwest National protected areas * Hanford Reach National Monument (part) * Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics in Pasco]] As of the census of 2000, there were 49,347 people, 14,840 households, and 11,604 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 16,084 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.91% White, 2.49% Black or African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 28.98% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races. 46.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.7% were of German, 6.7% United States or American and 6.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 55.8% spoke English and 41.6% Spanish as their first language. There were 14,840 households out of which 45.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 3.67. In the year 2000 the population was spread out with 34.60% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 17.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 109.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,991, and the median income for a family was $41,967. Males had a median income of $32,209 versus $24,533 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,459. About 15.50% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over. The 2008 county population is estimated to be 72,783, a 47.5% increase since 2000. This far outpaces Washington State's overall growth of 11.1% over the same time interval, and puts Franklin County among the fastest growing counties in the nation. According to the Census Bureau's 2007 estimates 11.1% of the population was under 5 years old, 33.6% under 17, and 7.1% over 65. 93.2% of the population consisted of white persons, 2.4% black. American Indian and Alaska Native persons accounted for 0.9%, Asians for 2%, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders 0.1%. 1.4% of people reported two or more races. Finally, persons of Hispanic or Latino origin accounted for 48.8% while non-Hispanic whites were at 46.0%. 47.7% of the population is female, and 52.3% male. In 2007 the county contained 22,301 housing units. Census-recognized communities *Basin City *Connell *Kahlotus *Mesa *Pasco *West Pasco Other communities *Eltopia See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Washington References Further reading * *Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection External links *Franklin County, Washington at HistoryLink.org Category:Franklin County, Washington Category:Established in 1883 Category:Tri-Cities, Washington